Stories & Thyme

making space for creativity

Menu
  • About
    • Amy’s Favorite Things
  • Connect
  • Eat
  • Motherhood
  • Move
  • Pray
  • Read
    • Amy’s Favorite Books
    • Children’s Picture Book Lists
    • Favorite Children’s Christmas Books
    • Favorite Christian Children’s Bibles & Books
    • Favorite Early Readers & First Chapter Books
    • Favorite Resources for the 3Rs – Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
    • Newbery Award Book Reviews
Menu

Summer 2022 Travel Log: The Anniversary Trip

Posted on July 22, 2022 by Amy Rogers Hays

I love to remember a romantic anniversary. All spring I’ll give my husband Evan a running tally of our anniversaries: late February was 16 years since our first awkward date to see the play The Good Person of Szechwan, early March was 16 years since I asked you to drive me to an Ash Wednesday service (our second date?), early April was 16 years since we had an RDT (relationship defining talk) and started officially dating. I could go on (and I do!): the anniversary of our first kiss, the anniversary of saying I love you, the anniversary of the graduation morning talk about how we weren’t going to start talking about marriage…yet.

So, it’s not a big surprise that I do love our actual wedding anniversary in late May. We had been planning for this one, a big one (15 years!), for a while.

We had decided that when Lily turned 4 this spring, she’d be old enough for us to go away by ourselves for our anniversary. In the Fall we asked my mom to come and watch the kids on our anniversary, our actual anniversary in the middle of the week, on a Thursday. I thought about it and decided going away on the actual day was important to me.

But then a few weeks before our trip, when the Airbnb had been booked, Evan had gotten a substitute teacher for his classes, and the kids were pumped up for special time with grandma, we found out that she couldn’t come. We were sad. That is to say everyone was bummed, and I was very upset. But we regrouped. We were able to make a new date later in the summer when my mom could come and we could go on the trip in August.

But I knew myself, and I knew that if we didn’t do something to celebrate the actual day, even with the trip to look forward to later, I’d be sad. So since we already had everything booked, I suggested we just go and bring the kids. And then a few days before our actual anniversary, all four of us got sick. Just regular colds, but all four of us were sneezing and sniffling and generally felt crummy. It also happened to be rather on the chilly side for late May and pouring down rain. But, we still went.

The kids were so excited. We baked special chocolate chip cookies that afternoon. We bought a pint of organic blueberries. We defrosted the extra Easter quiche that we ended up freezing when we all woke up sick on Easter morning and couldn’t go see Evan’s cousins. It was a symbol of how many best laid plans get canceled and rescheduled, but not lost.

The kids loved the little cottage by Lake Michigan. They explored each room, carefully looking at the tiny forest decorations, delighting over the big bed they’d get to share in their own room.

And even though we were sick, and even though it wasn’t what we had planned, it was sweet. I can clearly picture myself sitting at the table looking at my family and feeling deeply grateful. Grateful for them, for this time, for the chance to do something to celebrate.

Plus everyone loved the cookies. They were really good.

We mostly did regular life, like getting the kids to eat their dinner, reading them books (McDuff by Rosemary Wells!), bathing them, wiping their noses, and putting them to bed. But in the morning we played a little Uno on a fancy coffee table and drank our coffee and ate some more chocolate chip cookies.

The weather had cleared up, and we walked down the lane to Lake Michigan.

And then we went to one of our favorite state parks, Kolher Andre, and walked the dune board walk and the sunny beach.

We grabbed some Jimmy John’s gargantuan unwiches and went home to watch Encanto.

There were some really beautiful moments in our day. And there were some really real moments in our day, like when the kids didn’t nap and Lily had one of her really terrible tantrums before dinner. Only now, months later, are we starting to grasp how to make sure Lily is set up to sleep enough so that these do not need to be a regular part of our lives. And a dear, dear family friend had called me that morning to tell me about the blood results that said cancer.

But now months later, she had the surgery, and it turned out it’s not cancer. Benign tumors. Praise the Lord!

But now, my Dad needs surgery next month. Hopefully small, hopefully easy, and hopefully going to help him feel a lot better. But that means we aren’t going to see either of my parents this summer. And that means that we had to cancel another set of reservations for our August trip. And right now we don’t have another anniversary trip planned. Maybe we’ll get to do it in the Fall, or maybe it’ll have to wait until next year.

So I’m so glad that we went away for our anniversary. Even though we were sick. Even though the weather wasn’t great. Even though much of it wasn’t the way we had planned.

I was talking with a new friend this spring, a mom from Jackson’s soccer team, and she was telling me about their recent anniversary trips that got moved and rescheduled and then canceled too because of covid. Then I caught up with a college friend who went away for an anniversary trip last year and things with the childcare went really poorly, and it’s still causing relational stress nearly 9 months later. And I realized that so many people have had this experience recently. We all post shiny pictures to celebrate our anniversary trips, but then don’t mention how we feel bad about all the messy behind the scenes bits of life that make it challenging, or less than ideal, or just plain hard. Hearing about the real life trips of my friends made me feel less alone, less sorry for myself. Sure, this trip wasn’t everything I wanted it to be, but that’s just sometimes how it goes. For everyone.

Because of course people being sick, and plans changing, and child care falling through, but going anyway–that’s real life. That’s life with little kids. If you waited for everything to fall into place, you’d miss out on a lot of beautiful moments in between the hard ones. So I’m grateful for the chance to celebrate 15 years of marriage. I’m grateful for our rowdy, funny, sick kids. I’m grateful for my kind and dedicated husband who let me go to bed first and read in the kids’ room until they fell asleep. I’m grateful that for the sweet little cottage by the lake that helped us take a day to appreciate and celebrate and mark the day. And I’m looking forward to trips in the future where we will laugh and remember this trip with a wistful shake of the head.

Happy 15 years to us!

Past Anniversary Posts

  • The Beginning of Our Story: In Honor of Anniversary Weekend
  • For Our Eight Year Anniversary: The Four Loves & Forty Pictures from our Wedding Day
  • A Season of Tenderness: A Post for Our 9th Anniversary–Reflections on Marriage and Early Parenting
  • Wine Country: An Anniversary Trip
  • 12 Awesome Date Night Movies : An Anniversary Post
  • Cheers to Thirteen Years! An Anniversary Toast

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome!

PageLines- amyrogershays.JPG
I'm so glad you're here! I'm Amy - Anglican, mother of two, lover of trees, coffee, & fairy tales. Here's where I write about making space for creativity and filling our days with long walks, good food, morning prayers, and the reading and writing of good books. Drop me a line at AmyRogersHays (at) gmail.com.

follow us in feedly

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Instagram

instagram walk in snow

Follow Me on Instagram!

Recent Posts

  • Maundy Thursday: A Liturgy for Children and Families
  • Family Easter Basket Ideas: Books, Games, and Really Good Chocolate
  • Newbery Review #104 (The First State of Being, Kelly, 2025)
  • 40 Books for My 40th Birthday: A 2024 Reading List
  • Family Christmas Letter 2024

Twitter

spring robin outline on budding branches Follow me on Twitter!

Categories

  • Anxiety
  • baby
  • Board Games
  • Book Lists
  • Children's Spiritual Formation
  • Connect
  • Creativity
  • Eat
  • Family Stories
  • Fun with Kids
  • Liturgical year
  • Love & Marriage
  • Make
  • Motherhood
  • Move
  • Newbery Book Reviews
  • Order
  • paleo
  • Pray
  • pregnancy
  • Read
  • Reflections
  • Rest
  • Self-Care
  • simplify
  • Toddler
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • walks in the woods
  • Wisconsin Beauty
  • Write

Favorite Posts

natural haircare

Make Natural Hair Care: Baking Soda, Apple Cider Vinegar & Vodka-Gelatin Hair Gel

  homemade deodorant

Make Homemade Deodorant For Sensitive Skin: Bentonite Clay and Baking Soda

  college advice

Advice to Future College Students: 10 Things I Wish I Had Done More

  belonging to a church

Belonging to A Church

  dyslexia

Reflections on Dyslexia: May B. A Novel by Caroline Starr Rose

  leaving grad school

A Defining Retreat: Deciding to Leave Grad School

  love story

The Beginning of a Love Story In Honor of Anniversary Weekend

  breakfast

Scramble Up A Simple Paleo Breakfast

  cake

Bake Up A Flourless Chocolate Cake

  comfortable and presentable

Organize Bookshelves by Color

  trees

My Life In Trees

  elimination diet

An Elimination Diet Figure Out What Foods Are Making You Sick

  goodbye letter

A Goodbye Letter to Our Church: Leaving Those You Love

  paleo blended chai recipe

Paleo Chai: A Blended Coconut Oil & Butter Recipe

  Prayer book

16 Online Resources: Liturgical Prayer Apps & Websites

 

Archives

Welcome!


I’m so glad you’re here! I’m Amy – Anglican, mother of two, lover of trees, coffee, & fairy tales. Here’s where I write about making space for creativity and filling our days with long walks, good food, morning prayers, and the reading and writing of good books. Drop me a line at AmyRogersHays (at) gmail.com.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 744 other subscribers

Instagram

instagram walk in snow

Follow Me on Instagram!

Search

Recent Posts

Maundy Thursday: A Liturgy for Children and Families

Maundy Thursday: A Liturgy for Children and Families

Family Easter Basket Ideas: Books, Games, and Really Good Chocolate

Family Easter Basket Ideas: Books, Games, and Really Good Chocolate

Newbery Review #104 (The First State of Being, Kelly, 2025)

Newbery Review #104 (The First State of Being, Kelly, 2025)

40 Books for My 40th Birthday: A 2024 Reading List

40 Books for My 40th Birthday: A 2024 Reading List

Family Christmas Letter 2024

Family Christmas Letter 2024

Recipe for a Birthday Hike

Recipe for a Birthday Hike

An Invitation to October Rest: A Devotional

An Invitation to October Rest: A Devotional

Fun for Two: 5 Date Night Board & Card Games

Fun for Two: 5 Date Night Board & Card Games

Our Board-Game Loving, Third Grade Son’s Top 5 List of Favorite Board Games

Our Board-Game Loving, Third Grade Son’s Top 5 List of Favorite Board Games

Our First Grader’s Top Board Games: 5 No-Reading-Required, Travel Friendly, Family Card Games

Our First Grader’s Top Board Games: 5 No-Reading-Required, Travel Friendly, Family Card Games

5 Games to Start a Board Game Collection

5 Games to Start a Board Game Collection

5 Tips for Family Board Gaming

5 Tips for Family Board Gaming

40 of the Best Picture Books for 5 Year Olds

40 of the Best Picture Books for 5 Year Olds

Newbery Review #103 (The Eyes and the Impossible, Egger, 2024)

Newbery Review #103 (The Eyes and the Impossible, Egger, 2024)

Ash Wednesday: A Liturgy for Children and Families

Ash Wednesday: A Liturgy for Children and Families

Ways to Feel a Little Better or a Little More Peaceful

Ways to Feel a Little Better or a Little More Peaceful

How to Find Great Children’s Books: 20 Guide Books, Books Lists, and Web Resources

How to Find Great Children’s Books: 20 Guide Books, Books Lists, and Web Resources

39 Books for my 39th Birthday: A 2023 Reading List

39 Books for my 39th Birthday: A 2023 Reading List

Family Christmas Letter 2023

Family Christmas Letter 2023

A Simple Home Christmas Pageant Script

A Simple Home Christmas Pageant Script

Books & Boots for Saint Nicholas Day: A List of our Family’s Favorite Christmas Picture and Read Aloud Books

Books & Boots for Saint Nicholas Day: A List of our Family’s Favorite Christmas Picture and Read Aloud Books

40 Great Picture Books for 4 Year Olds

40 Great Picture Books for 4 Year Olds

Newbery Review #102 (Freewater, Luqman-Dawson, 2023)

Newbery Review #102 (Freewater, Luqman-Dawson, 2023)

The Best Children’s Bibles: 30+ suggestions from Board Book Bibles to Illustrated Study Bibles

The Best Children’s Bibles: 30+ suggestions from Board Book Bibles to Illustrated Study Bibles

An Epiphany Liturgy for Children and Families

An Epiphany Liturgy for Children and Families

Categories

  • Anxiety
  • baby
  • Board Games
  • Book Lists
  • Children's Spiritual Formation
  • Connect
  • Creativity
  • Eat
  • Family Stories
  • Fun with Kids
  • Liturgical year
  • Love & Marriage
  • Make
  • Motherhood
  • Move
  • Newbery Book Reviews
  • Order
  • paleo
  • Pray
  • pregnancy
  • Read
  • Reflections
  • Rest
  • Self-Care
  • simplify
  • Toddler
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • walks in the woods
  • Wisconsin Beauty
  • Write

Favorite Posts

natural haircare

Make
Natural Hair Care: Baking Soda, Apple Cider Vinegar & Vodka-Gelatin Hair Gel

 

homemade deodorant

Make
Homemade Deodorant For Sensitive Skin: Bentonite Clay and Baking Soda

 

college advice

Advice to Future College Students: 10 Things I Wish I Had Done More

 

belonging to a church

Belonging to A Church

 

dyslexia

Reflections on Dyslexia:
May B. A Novel by Caroline Starr Rose

 

leaving grad school

A Defining Retreat: Deciding to Leave Grad School

 

love story

The Beginning of a Love Story In Honor of Anniversary Weekend

 

breakfast

Scramble Up A Simple Paleo Breakfast

 

cake

Bake Up A Flourless Chocolate Cake

 

comfortable and presentable

Organize Bookshelves by Color

 

trees

My Life In Trees

 

elimination diet

An Elimination Diet Figure Out What Foods Are Making You Sick

 

goodbye letter

A Goodbye Letter to Our Church: Leaving Those You Love

 

paleo blended chai recipe

Paleo Chai: A Blended Coconut Oil & Butter Recipe

 

Prayer book

16 Online Resources: Liturgical Prayer Apps & Websites

 

© 2025 Stories & Thyme | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme